Matt Skoff made 32 saves in the shutout against Michigan (Photo Courtesy of goPSUsports.com)
By Pat White (@patwhite9126)
“It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”
The old adage rang true in Happy Valley this weekend as Penn State (5-18-1, 1-9-0-0 Big Ten) hosted No. 10 Michigan (14-7-3, 6-3-1-1 Big Ten) in Big Ten play.
At the end of the game on Friday, it looked like it was going to be a long weekend for the Nittany Lions. Michigan came into Pegula Ice Arena and put up a touchdown on Penn State, winning 7-3.
Heading into Saturday’s game – a day that Penn State was 0-8-0 on the season- the numbers were not in their favor. Aside from being winless in the Big Ten, the Nittany Lions were 0-10-0 against ranked teams and 2-8-1 at home.
But all of that changed on Saturday.
Penn State came out with the same fire they had last season when they knocked off Wisconsin in Madison. It was clear from the beginning of the game that Penn State was coming away with a victory.
And they did, shutting out the Wolverines 4-0 in front of a sellout crowd in Hockey Valley. Head coach Guy Gadowsky said that it was the experience he envisioned when he took the Penn State job three years ago.
“That’s why I came here,” Gadowsky said, “To compete against the best teams in the nation in the Big Ten. What a tremendous crowd and student body. They are so great and so supportive and to see how much fun they were having is what it’s all about.”
The win was Skoff’s third career shutout, with the last one coming exactly a year ago when Penn State shut out Alabama-Huntsville at home, 4-0.
Gadowsky was gleaming with excitement after the game. He said that winning feels fantastic, but it was the work to get there that made it taste that much sweeter. One major reason was play of his sophomore goaltender.
“You talk about timely goaltending,” Gadowsky said, “those huge saves early gave us confidence. Great goaltending is more about timely goaltending. Credit the defense too. The whole team did a heck of a job.”
Skoff had seen his playing time decrease lately in favor of the freshman Eamon McAdam. The shutout was a major confidence boost for Skoff, but he didn’t feel any added pressure against a ranked Michigan team.
“Anytime I’m in the net I try to give my best effort to help the team win no matter when I start,” Skoff said. “There was a sense of urgency in the fact that we hadn’t won a Big Ten game yet.
Skoff said that his play and the overall play of the team rose to the challenge of facing a talented Michigan team.
“We played Michigan in the Big Ten. I’m sure that had something to do with it,” Skoff said about the team’s success. “There was a sense of urgency with the defense after getting spanked last night.”
Life is much easier for a goaltender when his team scores three goals in the first period. But Gadowsky said that it may have been Skoff’s saves in the opening stanza that actually sparked the scoring.
Freshman Zach Saar started the scoring for the Nittany Lions, potting his fourth goal of the season and second of the weekend. After a scramble in front, the puck squirted out to Saar on the right side of the net and he chipped the puck past Zach Nagelvoort.
In David Glen’s second game back after a bone marrow procedure, the sophomore scored his first goal since Jan 12 against Minnesota. Glen fired a shot from below the goal line that somehow found it’s way through Nagelvoort to give Penn State a 2-0 lead.
Penn State held a 2-0, first period lead last weekend against Ohio State before relinquishing it in a losing effort. That would not be the case this time around.
Instead, the Nittany Lions extended the lead courtesy of Casey Bailey. After some early season scoring woes , Bailey is now on a three-game scoring streak. Ricky DeRosa centered a puck in the slot that found Bailey’s stick and he fired a wrist shot for his fifth goal of the season. That would end Nagelvoort’s day and head coach opted to go with Steve Racine for the remainder of the game.
The 3-0 lead is all that Skoff and the Penn State defense would need. Patrick Koudys played another huge game defensively, leading the team with three blocked shots and providing some big hits. After injuries to two defensemen, Kenny Brooks moved back to the blue line and stepped right in to make an impact. The win was a total team effort. DeRosa added a goal in the third period on a deflection from David Thompson’s point shot off the draw.
But the key to the game was the play of Skoff. He made some big saves early in the game, including one on Andrew Copp who was looking at a wide open net. Skoff slid from left to right and robbed Copp with the with left pad. He said that the defense did a good job of keeping shots to the outside and he answered the bell when the Wolverines got in tight.
Saar had himself a very strong weekend. Aside from the two goals, he was a major net presence, something Penn State had been lacking. Saar said there was a confidence in the locker room before the game that the team could knock off their first top-10 team.
“I think it was a part of our growth and growing as a team,” Saar said. “It was a different feeling and we really came together as a team today.”
Penn State out-shot Michigan 40-32 in the game. A major reason for the shot advantage was Penn State’s aggressive forecheck. There has been a passivity in the forechecking game, but that all changed against Michigan.
“Guys were moving and they were hungry,” Gadowsky said. “They were forechecking for each other. We had three guys going in with a purpose and we were able to play in their end for a lot longer because of it.”
It may have taken a little longer than the program would have liked, but the Big Ten monkey is off the Nittany Lions back. Skoff gave a big fist pump and was mobbed by his teammates when the final buzzer sounded. The 6,000-plus fans in attendance gave the team a standing ovation during the waning seconds of the game.
“I was just excited, Skoff said of the celebration. “It’s the first Big Ten win in the history of Penn Sttae. It’s just awesome to be a part of. I very ecstatic and wanted to celebrate with my teammates.”
Penn State has some momentum to build on after snapping a nine-game losing streak. They play host to Michigan State next weekend, a team that swept them a little less than a month ago.
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